


Zero

by M0CKINGBIRD



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 03:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4084294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M0CKINGBIRD/pseuds/M0CKINGBIRD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>he just no longer wanted to be a zero</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Zero

I’ve been lonely my whole life. My parents used to work a lot and I didn’t have any siblings; plus, I was shy, so I didn’t have any friends at school. And, you know, kids can be cruel, they ignored me, like there were 27 students in that class and not 28.

If I was a number I’d be zero.

I tried making friends when I got in high school but I simply couldn’t. And the other students didn’t seem to have any kind of interest on me, so I entered on high school – in a completely different school than the one that I was before – alone and left in the same way. One month after graduation I didn’t even remember my classmates’ names. 

But I could remember the promise I had made to myself one night: go away and never come back.

And I was going to realize that promise; I was just waiting for the perfect time.

And it came on a Friday night that my parents went to some reunion of my dad’s job. I put some clothes on a bag and a few other personal things on a backpack, wrote a letter for my parents and left without a noise.

Now it was only me and the road.


	2. Coffee Shop

My first stop was on the way to Los Angeles. I had to stop at a gas station because I was riding my car and it needed gas. I decided to go to the small coffee shop that was beside the gas station to eat something and get some rest – I’ve been driving for hours.

That place was ugly; the walls were painted in a sick ton of pink and the tables looked like it could broke if I put too many things on it. But it was better than nothing; and it also had food and coffee by a low price.

I sat and a few seconds later a guy that didn’t seem to be much older than me showed up.

“Hi, I’m Daehyun and I’m here to take your order,” he said with a smile on his face. “Already know what do you want?”

“Hm; a small cup of coffee and some pancakes, please.” He nodded and smiled again before leaving and going to the kitchen.

Even the place being ugly it was cozy; and it was nice to finally stop and relax a little bit before going back to the road. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was looking for, I just wanted to run away and start a new life. It seemed a nice idea when I left home, but now I was feeling lonelier than ever before.

But I couldn’t go back. My parents called me when they came back from the reunion and saw my note; my dad said that if I ever decided to go back I would find their door close. So, yeah, now it was definitely just me. 

Me and Dora, my beautiful blue Cadillac.

I’ve been feeling like a one and it was better than be a zero. My goal was to feel like a ten, but I really thought this would be impossible. Not with my past.

“Here it is,” I heard and almost jumped in surprise when I saw the plate and the steaming mug being put in front of me. “Did I scare you? Sorry,” he laughed softly. “I didn’t realize you were so concentrate on your thoughts.”

“No, it’s okay.” I could feel my stomach growling from hunger and didn’t say anything else before cutting a piece of the pile of pancakes and eating; closing my eyes when I felt the delicious taste.

“Wow, you look hungry,” he laughed again; he really liked to laugh.

“I hadn’t eaten a good meal in a few days, only snacks on my car.” I confessed to him.

“Running away?”

“Kinda.”

“You know, in the second floor we have some rooms to rent, you can stay for the night. It would be good for you, get some rest and a good night of sleep.”

“I don’t know if I have enough money,” I swallowed and burned my tongue with the hot coffee.

“I can make for five dollars for you, just to say that I charged something.”

“Thank you so much,” I smiled for him for the first time. “I’m Junhong, but you can call me Zelo.”

“That’s a nice nickname, Zelo. Do you want more coffee?”

“Please,” he went and came back bringing more. “Do you want to seat? I don’t talk with anyone since a left.”

“Sure, there isn’t anyone else here anyway,” he went to the counter and came back with a mug full of coffee for himself. “From where are you running from?”

“Some small and forgotten city that I hated.” He grinned.

“And now are you going to LA?” I nodded. “To do what?”

“I have no clue.”

“You know, LA is a big city, you can get lost there if you don’t know what you are looking for. Especially if you have never been to the city before.”

“I just… Wanted to feel something; I was too numb.”

“Well, I can’t say you don’t have the balls. I’m just warning you; LA is a dangerous city.”

“You seem to know a lot about there.”

“I used to live there.”

“So why are you here?” I looked around, raising an eyebrow and making him laugh.

“In the end of the world? I don’t know, I was kinda sick of the big city.”

“You could show me there,” I don’t know where the words were coming from; I was feeling really comfortable with him.

“Yes, I could.” He said and then got up when a couple entered. 

I finished my pancakes and my now cold coffee and left, parking my car and getting inside again. I took an old notebook from my backpack with a pencil and started to draw some stupid things, just waiting for Daehyun.

“So, Zelo, do you wanna a bedroom?”

“I’d love.” I packed my things again and followed him ‘till a stair and then to a corridor with six doors. He opened one for me and gave me some space to enter. It was not big and it had only a bed and a bedside table, but it was enough. “Thank you, Daehyun.”

“No problems. Let’s make that way: 10 dollars for the room and the meal; the one you had and what else you eat.”

“It seems great. Thank you again.”

“Get comfortable, Zelo, if you need anything I’m down stairs.”

I locked the door and left my things next to it; the next thing I did was throw myself on the bed and felt asleep almost immediately. 

When I woke up it was already night and my body was heavy. I didn’t want to get up nor walk ‘till the coffee shop – even being hungry. I wanted to stay there forever.

“Zelo?” I heard the knocks on the door and Daehyun’s voice. I answered a lazy yes and waited for him to continue. “It’s ten pm, don’t you want to eat?”

“I’m going, just give me a few minutes,” my voice was weird and I had to cough twice to stay normal again.

I left the bed and went to the small bathroom; I opened the cold water on the shower and took no more than ten minutes there, putting a clean shirt after and the same jeans. I brushed my teeth – even though I was going to eat – and left the room, walking through the corridor after I locked the room.

I got surprised when I saw that the coffee shop was full. I mean, it wasn’t really full but there was only one table unoccupied. I sat there and followed Daehyun with my eyes while he went from table to table serving coffee and taking plates. Even though I met him for only a few hours I could see that he hated that.

He finally could come to my table and passed the back of his hand on the forehead before talking to me. “I hate this time of the day. So, what do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can I choose then?”

“Sure,” I smiled back to him and he left, coming back with a glass of water.

I stared at the table with nothing to do; it was weird don’t having a phone to use. I threw my phone at the window after I talked with my parents and I really didn’t regret it; it was better this way. Now I had no family. Again, it was just me and Dora against the world.

I looked outside; there were a lot of cars parked, but I couldn’t see any on the road. People normally didn’t like to drive at night.

“Hey,” I heard and turned, seeing Daehyun putting a plate with nuggets and French fries in front of me; I laughed. “I hope you like it.”

“I love both, thanks.”

“Do you want something special to drink?”

“Do you have beer?”

“Do you have the age to drink beer?” I stared blankly at him and he laughed again but a little noisier this time. “I’m just joking, I’ll bring one for you, be right back.” He came back with a bottle of Heineken and opened it on his arm, leaving after.

He came back to my table twice: one to take away the plate and other to give me a magazine – probably he saw I was really bored. And just a couple of hours later he sat and sighed.

“I hate this job.”

“So why are you here?”

“I need the money.”

“Go away with me tomorrow,” I whispered. What the hell I had on mind? We barely knew each other.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, you get out of this place and can show LA to me when we get there. It’s a win-win thing.”

“I-I need to think, can we talk tomorrow morning?” He looked confused and nervous.

“Of course; I will leave at eight.”

“Why so early?”

“To drive as long as I can before the sunset.”

“Ok, I’ll think. See you tomorrow, good night.” He then left quickly and I did the same. Now there was only a truck driver sat on a table and I think it was almost midnight. After I got in bed I – again – felt asleep right away.

The small alarm clock I had rang at seven am and woke me. I – again – didn’t want to do anything, but I still had a long road ‘till Los Angeles, so I had to move on. I took a shower a little longer than the one in the previous night and put the same shirt – I hadn’t too much clothes and couldn’t give myself the pleasure to save it.

At 7:30am I was leaving the room and walking to the coffee shop. It was empty, so I chose a table close to the door. Daehyun didn’t take long to show up with the menu.

“Good morning; want the same from yesterday or something else?” I passed my eyes through the menu.

“Some waffles then and coffee, please.” He nodded and left.

He seemed different; maybe he hadn’t sleep at night, he looked tired. I thought about asking when he came back with my food, but I preferred remain quiet. 

“Are you already leaving?” He asked when I stand up and opened my wallet.

“Yeah, I need to go back to the road. I still have a long trip,” I stared him. “Did you decide?” He looked away and took the money from my hand, going back to the counter. “Goodbye, Daehyun,” I said loud enough for him to hear me, but he still didn’t look at me.

I put my backpack on my shoulder and took my bag from the floor, walking outside the coffee shop; it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining. I put my sunglasses and left my things on the backseat, lowering the bonnet before entering on the driver seat and turned on the car.

I almost screamed when someone jumped on the passenger seat. “Go!” Daehyun said looking at the door of the coffee shop.

I stepped on the accelerator and got out of the park. When I looked behind I saw an old man on the door screaming at us, but I only speed up on the road. 

“What the hell was that?” I finally asked to the boy besides me and he laughed at a high ton, closing his eyes and leaning his head on the bench.

“I didn’t say anything when you were eating because no one could know. I hated that place.”

“So, welcome aboard and if you do that to Dora again I’ll cut your balls off.”

“Dora?” He looked at me confused.

“My car.”

“Your car has a name?”

“Shut up.”

He continued to laugh at it and I continued to drive.


End file.
